Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: White dwarf radio pulsars (WD pulsars) are a fascinating, newly established class of compact binary systems. These are defined as detached white dwarf + M dwarf compact binaries ($P_{\rm{orb}}\sim 4\,\text{hours}$) that exhibit pulsed multi-wavelength emission (from X-ray to radio) associated with a rapid rotation of the white dwarf. Only three such systems have been spectroscopically confirmed: AR Sco, J1912$-$4410 and J2306$+$2440. Since its discovery in 2016, AR Sco has spurred debate about the nature and origin of WD pulsars, particularly regarding the formation of their presumably strong magnetic fields. J1912$-$4410's radio emission is sharp and narrow, resembling that of a canonical pulsar much more than AR Sco does. It offers a crucial opportunity to refine our understanding of WD pulsar formation and of their place in the broader context of magnetic cataclysmic variable (mCV) evolution. Here, we demonstrate how MeerKAT’s 2-second timing resolution provides a powerful means of probing the nature of the pulsed radio emission from J1912$-$4410. We present the preliminary results of the first long-term monitoring of J1912$-$4410 at radio wavelengths --- in particular, we determine a precise white dwarf spin period of $5.32339264(40)\,$minutes and highlight the differences of its radio emission to that of AR Sco.
DOI: 10.22323/1.514.0061
Institutions: University of Cape Town, Rhodes University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4416980365
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: